


lucky stars

by mysterytwin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, based on the au where adrien has a crush on marinette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 09:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6465691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysterytwin/pseuds/mysterytwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a day he'd never forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lucky stars

Good luck was something Adrien tried not to take for granted. It's something that doesn't cross his path very often, a burden that the miraculous ring he wore on his hand gave him. It was okay, though. He was slowly getting used to it, trying to be as cautious as possible, testing out his limits every so often.

As his teacher droned on and on about a physics lesson he already knew and understood completely, it took everything in the blonde boy not to turn around and look at the girl behind him. She had caught his interest ever since the first day he went to school, her bright blue eyes engraved in his mind whenever his mind wandered off. 

To say that Adrien had a small crush on Marinette was an understatement. 

She took up his thoughts while he dreamt at night, the time he could be using to study when he wasn't doing anything, his early morning thoughts. The only time he was thinking about someone else was when he was on patrol as Chat Noir. 

Then, _Ladybug_ (and how to defeat Hawkmoth) took up every space in his brain. 

As much as he liked Marinette, he couldn't help but like his masked partner as well. The two ladies were sort of similar, but as always, Adrien pushed thoughts like those away, not wanting to disrespect Ladybug's wish to keep their personal lives separate. 

He scribbled on his paper endlessly, not really caring about what the teacher was saying. The teacher didn't really care if the students were listening, anyway. 

"Hey, Adrien," Nino whispered next to him. "Whatcha doing over there?"

"Nothing," he replied. "Just doodling."

"Well, if it helps, Mari's been staring at the back of your head for the last fifteen minutes. I told you, she's into you, man," Nino said to his best friend, subtly gesturing to the black-haired girl sitting behind him. 

Adrien opened his mouth to say _"No, she doesn't see me that way,"_ but Nino beat him to it. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, dude. She doesn't like you that way. But if it turns out she had a crush on you too this whole time, you owe me some money."

Adrien rolled his eyes and took a quick glance at the girl sitting behind him. For a brief second, all he saw was that she _wasn't_ looking at him, her eyes focused on whatever she was writing (or drawing, he couldn't tell). 

"Even if she did like me," Adrien told his friend quietly. "Don't get my hopes up by saying she was looking at me, alright?"

"Dude, I swear she was. Promise. Would I ever lie to you?" Nino asked, an eyebrow raised. 

Adrien contemplated. "You can't even lie to save your life, Nino."

"Exactly," he grinned, placing his hands in a finger gun motion. 

"You're im-paw-ssible," Adrien muttered under his breath, knowing Nino couldn't hear him. Cat puns were Chat Noir's (and _only_ his) thing after all. 

"Now," the teacher said loudly, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "I will assign all of you partners to complete the project. You will construct a small windmill to learn how electricity is generated from it. The list of materials are on the board."

Adrien heard Nino groan behind him, muttering something under his breath that Adrien couldn't quiet catch. He was okay with anyone, really (with the small exception of Chloe), but he hoped to get one of his closer friends. 

"Now, for the partners. Chloe and Alix, Juleka and Rose, Alya and Nino, Max and Nathaneal, Marinette and Adrien—"

Adrien's heart stopped. Him and Marinette? Was this real? 

As much as he wanted to spend time with her, he was a nervous wreck around her. (Even _Kim_ had said so, and all that guy really cared about was being the fastest runner there was.) How the hell was he supposed to complete the project, much less _talk_ to her about it?

"Dude, it's your lucky day!" Nino exclaimed. "You'll get to spend time with Mari!"

Adrien's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "Yeah, but at what cost? I can barely talk to her coherently."

"That's why this is the perfect chance. You'll get to know her better and you'll stop being such an idiot around her," he told Adrien. He leaned forward, and said in a whisper: "Maybe you'll even find out if she likes you back!"

Adrien blushed once more, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Marinette. She was beaming as she spoke to Alya, her hands moving in every direction. Cute, Adrien thought. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Everyone started to get up, ready to leave. Adrien's stomach lurched when he realized he had to actually talk to his crush at that very moment. It was now or never. 

"H-hey, Marinette," he called, trying to keep calm. He only hoped he _looked_ calm, too. 

"Hello," she said quietly when she turned to look at him. "Um, how do you want to do the project? I've got some white thread and milk containers that we could use at my house, so we could do it there, i-if you'd like."

"Sure. I—" Adrien paused, telling himself that he was doing okay so far. "I can bring some corks and a bunch of rocks over. It might be helpful."

"Yeah! You're great—I mean, that's great…that you have some stuff we could use. I'm sure they'll be helpful," Marinette said in a rush, her cheeks slightly pink. 

"I can come over tomorrow. You know, since it's Saturday. But if it's not okay with you, that's totally fine, I mean—it's not like I'm pressuring you to let me come over or anything. I'm free whenever, since I have no photo shoots scheduled this weekend, but really, it's up to you—"

"Saturday's good," Marinette interrupted him with a smile. "Saturday's perfect."

"Really?" Adrien asked. "I can come after lunch. Only if you'd like, of course."

"Tha-that would be great!" she said, her blue shining. 

Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, a bold move on his part. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yup, you'll definitely see me tomorrow! Well, not because I'm stalking you or anything—why would I do such a thing? That's ludicrous!"

Adrien gave her one last smile, turned around, hoping she wouldn't see his pink cheeks. 

(She almost did, but he turned too fast for her to see.)

* * *

Marinette felt like her heart was going to burst out of her body. Her heart was racing, and she was beaming. She had actually talked to Adrien! Adrien! 

"Woah, slow down, girl," Alya told her. "I know you're happy your partner's Adrien for the project but no need to be so bubbly about it."

Marinette ignored her. "I talked to Adrien, Alya! I actually talked to him and I didn't stutter as much!"

"Yeah, girl, I heard the entire conversation. He seemed pretty excited about meeting you tomorrow," she teased and Marinette felt her cheeks heat up. 

"Now all I have to do is to hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow," Marinette said as she entered her house with Alya following behind her. 

"You're going to be fine! You've faced harder things," Alya reassured her. 

"Good afternoon, mama, papa," Marinette greeted her parents, giving each a kiss on the cheek. Alya smiled at the Dupain-Cheng parents. "Alya and I will be upstairs."

"Anyway, have you seen my latest post on the Ladyblog? Ladybug hasn't shown up in a couple of days! Do you think she's sick?" Alya asked worriedly and Marinette tensed.

She chose her words carefully. "Well, there haven't been any akuma attacks lately. Plus, she's been patrolling with Chat Noir at night, hasn't she?"

"Well, yeah," Alya says, using Marinette's computer to access her blog. "But isn't it weird that no one's been akumatized yet?"

"Consider it luck," she replied, lying down on her bed. "Besides, don't you think they deserve a break?"

"Of course I do! Everyone does at some point," Alya said. They sat in silence except for the Alya's typing. Marinette sighed, eyes closing. She was still over the moon with what had happened just a few minutes ago. 

"Oh! Is this the new dress you're making?" Alya excitedly asked suddenly, grabbing the piece of paper with the design on it. "It's gorgeous, Mari!"

Marinette sat up, smiling. "Thanks. I wasn't so sure about the design on the top when I first designed it, but when I decided of adding a—"

"Maaaari, as much as I love you, you know I can't keep up with all the designing terms you use," Alya said with a small laugh. 

"Bug off, Alya," Marinette said, sighing. Her best friend laughed, and Marinette, realizing what she had just said, froze. Was that a…ladybug pun? She groaned internally. She couldn't let Chat Noir infect her like this. Not when Adrien was supposed to come over the following day. 

Alya's phone beeped, signaling her parents wanted her home. "Well, I gotta go," she stood up. "Tell me everything that happens tomorrow, will ya?"

"Of course!" Marinette said. With that, the girl left, leaving Tikki to come out of Marinette's jacket. 

"It's time for patrol!" Tikki told her cheerfully. "You heard what Alya said, it's about time Ladybug made an appearance while the sun was still out."

"Alright," Marinette said. "Tikki, spots on!"

After the transformation, Ladybug headed for the Eiffel Tower, where her and Chat Noir were scheduled to meet. The feeling of the wind brushing past her hair relaxed her. As she swung her yo-yo towards the Eiffel Tower, she couldn't help but wonder what HawkMoth was up to. Maybe he was just busy? Ladybug shook her head, knowing that couldn't be a reason. Well, maybe it could. She didn't really have proof, now did she?

Chat Noir was already there when she got there, and he was grinning. He noticed her presence and smiled even wider. Ladybug landed on the platform, and Chat Noir walked towards her. 

"Always a pleasure to see you, my lady," he said, winking. "You look as purrfect as usual."

She rolled her eyes. "I haven't even been here for a minute and you already said a cat pun. Silly cat."

"You know you love me," he teased, his smile not once faltering. 

"Any sign of an akuma?" Ladybug asked, dismissing what he had just said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his shoulders slump. 

"None," he replied. "Well, none yet. Not to be the negative one here, but I have a feeling there'll be one soon. If not today, then tomorrow."

"Really?" Ladybug asked, her eyebrow raising. She sat down, her legs dangling off the edge. "If that's the case, we have to be ready at all times. You've got any plans tomorrow?"

He sat down next to her. "One, actually. A project for school, I'm actually quite excited for it. I like who I'm partnered with."

"Is that so?" Ladybug asked. "Seems like you've got a crush on whoever she is."

Chat blushed, and Ladybug let out a small sigh of mixed feelings. She was sort of relieved, in a way. Knowing he wasn't just pinning over her gave her relief that she wouldn't have to reject him if what she thought his feelings for her were true. The other part of was happy for him. That was it. (Or was it?)

"She's cute," Chat defended. "She's got really pretty eyes, too."

"No need to get defensive, kitty," Ladybug said, letting out a small laugh. 

"How about we play a game?" he offered. "Considering there's no akuma, I think we can afford it."

All she could do was nod. "What game are we playing?"

Chat Noir grinned, and it was at that very moment, Ladybug knew she had made a mistake. "I Spy."

She gave him her best "are you serious?" look, but it did no damage. "You're so childish sometimes, you know that?"

"Thanks for noticing, bugaboo. I try. Anyway, do you want to start?" he asked her, and Ladybug rolled her eyes. 

"I'll take that as a no. I spy…" he said slowly, his eyes searching the view beneath them, "a pair of headphones."

Ladybug's eyes quickly searched for a pair of earphones. She spotted Nino walking and smiled. "There," she announced, pointing towards him. "That kid over there has them hanging around his neck."

"I should've known you'd be good at this," Chat said, smiling. "Your turn."

"I spy…" she trailed, looking for something he would miss. Then she saw it, a black umbrella on her balcony, an old gift given to her by a very special person. It was quite hidden behind a pot, which was good. "An umbrella, a black one."

After a few minutes of endless searching on Chat's part, Ladybug asked, "Give up?"

"Never, LB," he said, grinning. 

"Are you sure?" she asked him teasingly. "You've been at it for quite some time now."

He sighed, shoulders slumping. "You know what? You win, I give up. Where's the umbrella?"

"You see that balcony over there? There's a pot on the left, and right behind it, there's a black umbrella," she pointed out. She stared at him, watching his expression change. But it was not quite what she was expecting. 

A look of surprise and familiarity passed on his face, like he had some sort of past with the umbrella. "That's…that's Marinette's balcony, isn't it?"

Ladybug tried not to sound so surprised that he remembered her name. "Yeah, the Dupain-Cheng girl. Her family makes really nice croissants."

"So I've heard. I've always wanted to taste one," he told her, a bitter edge to his tone. She mentally reminded herself to bring him one next time. 

"Why don't you, then?" she realized that her words had come out too rude. "I mean, you don't have to tell me—"

"It's alright," he said, offering her a small smile. 

"Okay," she said quietly. 

"It's my father. He's not big on me eating too much. He thinks I'll turn fat, which isn't really good for his image. You know, some rich guy having a fat son? If he's so perfect, shouldn't his son be too?" he said sadly, not meeting her eyes. 

She put her hand on his shoulder. "You know, you can talk to him about it. Even if he won't listen, I'm sure he has to be aware about it somehow. I'm always here for you, you know that."

He looked so sad, and Ladybug had to resist the urge to hug him. "It'll be okay," she said, trying to convince not only him, but herself as well. 

"Yeah, well, I think he might become suspicious if I'm out too late today. You don't mind taking care of patrol yourself?" he asked, standing up. He offered her a hand, which she gladly took. 

"Of course," she replied. "If an akuma does show up, I'll call you."

"It's been a pleasure, my lady," Chat said with a wink before grabbing his baton and disappearing from her view. 

Ladybug sat back down, wondering what she would do while she waited for night to fall. 

* * *

_Here we go_ , Adrien thought as pushed the door open. His heart was thumping in his chest rapidly, hoping would go smoothly today. He had brought the things he needed, and hoped that it would be enough. 

"Adrien!" Marinette greeted behind the counter, hands and faced stained with flour. From Adrien's view, he saw that she was wearing an apron, which was doused in frosting. He looked up to look at her face when he saw her hair. 

His heart jumped.

Her hair was tied in a bun, something Adrien had never seen before, and _dammit_ , it looked really good on her. Screw it, he couldn't do this. She looked too cute today, he wouldn't be able to focus at all. 

"I-I didn't expect you'd come so early, not that I thought you'd come late or anything, which is totally preposterous since you're always punctual," Marinette rambled, her hands moving in different directions. She looked down, as if she only realized how messy she looked. "Oh! I must look like a mess, I'm so sorry."

Adrien smiled warmly. "It's okay, it's not that bad."

She sighed, taking off her apron. She lifted the tray of cookies in front of her. "Do you want some cookies?" she gave him a small, embarrassed smile. 

"Sure," he said, walking forward and grabbing one. 

"I-I'll go clean myself," she told him, turning around. "Help yourself to as many as you want. Mama made me prepare those as snacks, anyway."

He nodded, silently chewing as he watched her go to the bathroom to clean up. Adrien liked the smell of their house. It smelled of bread and sweet frosting. There was a home-y feeling to it, which Adrien loved and wanted dearly. Even if their place was small, it felt more like home did the mansion ever did. 

Marinette came back out a few moments later, hair still tied in a bun. Her face was clean of any trace of flour. 

"Hi," she said shyly. "You want to come upstairs?"

Adrien nodded. He already knew the way. They climbed up the stairs and into Marinette's room. He took a look around the room, and he noticed that everything remained unchanged. 

"I-I just realized how pink your room was," he said, before quickly adding, "not that there's anything bad with that, of course."

"Th-thanks," she stammered, her cheeks turning the same shade as the walls of her room. She gestured to the materials that they would use for their project. "Let's get started."

"Um," Adrien started. "I think we're supposed to fill one-third of the mil carton with sand or rocks. What do you think?"

"Yeah!" Marinette agreed. "Uh, I didn't have any sand, so I thought we could use flour instead? Do you think it would work?"

"That's good too, I think," he told her. Adrien grabbed a few of the rocks he had brought and placed it inside the carton after she had placed the flour. 

It only took them a few minutes to complete the windmill. Adrien stared at their project (which was currently placed on Marinette's desk) and it stared back at him. It didn't look too bad. 

"Now we just need to make the powerpoint presentation," Marinette said, sliding into the chair and turning on her computer. 

"Wait," Adrien blinked. "Powerpoint presentation? How come I didn't hear about that?"

"Really?" Marinette asked. "It was made pretty clear."

"Oh," Adrien said. He must have zoned out then. 

"NotthatI'msayingyouweren'tlisteninginclass!" she exclaimed, her words a jumbled mess. She took a deep breath. "I didn't mean—"

"I get it, don't worry," he said, giving her a small smile. 

She smiled back at him. "I can make it, if you want."

Adrien nodded. "Just tell me if you need any help, and I'll be glad to provide." 

He sat down on her bed, watching her type. It seemed like she could handle it. Adrien tried his best not to watch her. That would be weird, right? Besides, he couldn't let her know he had a crush on her. 

Suddenly, he had an idea. (A part of him was against it, but a little fun never hurt.) He grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at her. She gave out a small shriek.

When she turned to look at him, he gave her his best blank face and shrugged. 

"Did you just _throw_ a pillow at me?" she asked and Adrien just stared. 

"Me? Throw a pillow at you? Why, that's a little ridiculous, don't you think? I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, but he could t help the small smile that crept onto his lips. 

Huffing, she stood up and grabbed the nearest pillow, which was on a chair. She threw it at him and Adrien moved, barely missing the hit. 

"You've got quite an aim," he teased, smirking. "Mine's still better, though." Adrien was quick to grab another pillow (somehow her room was so full of pillows) and throw it at her. He missed as she moved to the right. 

Marinette grabbed another pillow and started to slowly walk towards him. She was grinning madly. Adrien got scared. He tried to grab a pillow, but unfortunately, there was none left. 

"Marinette," he said nervously. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's too late for that now," she told him wickedly as she raised her pillow and hit him. Adrien stood up and ran, hoping to find a pillow.

He laughed as he grabbed the nearest one, which was on the floor, and turned around to hit Marinette. The two continued to hit each other, laughter erupting from one another. (Adrien couldn't help the weird feeling from his stomach when he heard her laugh.)

He was able to pin her arms, but Marinette was quick to hit his legs, causing both of them to fall in the floor. His hands were still on hers, his body resting on top of her. 

"Would you look at that?" he said, breathing heavily, a smile present on his face. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you're under _Agreste!_ "

Marinette burst out laughing and he soon followed. He rolled to his side, getting off of her. They were both still laughing, cheeks red. 

"Nice pun," she commented after a while. "It's been a while since I've had a pillow fight."

"Same here," he said, still trying to catch his breath. "It feels good."

He got up, offering a hand. She took it, offering a warm smile. Adrien was about to say something when the floor shook, making both of them fall. 

"What's happening?" Marinette asked, one arm holding onto his and the other holding the leg of her table. 

Suddenly, the shaking stopped. 

"Earthquake?" he offered, getting back on his feet. When another wave of shaking occurred, he knew he was wrong. 

Marinette did, too. She climbed up to her balcony, Adrien following behind her. "No," she said, her voice firm and serious. "Akuma."

And they both could see it. There, a small figure was flying above, holding a stick that seemed to make the earth shake wherever he or she pointed it to. 

"We should go back inside," Adrien said, grabbing Marinette's arm and dragging her inside. Once they were inside, Marinette spoke. 

"Adrien, stay inside my room. I'll go check on my parents."

"Okay!" Adrien said, eyes wide with panic. He knew he had to transform. "Stay safe!"

"I will." She smiled at him before closing the door. 

Plagg came out with a yawn. "Do we have to?" he asked. 

Adrien ignored him. "Plagg, claws out!"

After the transformation, he went back to the balcony and headed straight for the akuma. 

"Hey, there," Chat called out, swinging his tail. He stood on top of the roof, looking up at the latest victim. 

"Chat Noir!" it screamed, and the ground shook. More screaming. _Great_ , he thought. "Hand over your miraculous!"

He yawned. "I don't think so. I'm not really feline it, if you know what I mean."

The akuma let out an enraged scream and dove to attack him. He grabbed his baton, swinging it to defend himself. He was successful, and as he looked at the fallen akuma, he could see it was a girl. She seemed younger than him, which made his heart heavy. He spotted her necklace, and maybe that was it. 

The akuma got up, and Chat backed up. He got ready with his baton. Suddenly, a familiar yo-yo zipped past him and there, on the spot next to him, landed Ladybug. 

"I told you there would be an akuma!" he exclaimed as they both attacked. The two worked in sync, knowing the moves of one another before it even happened. 

It didn't take long for them to defeat the akuma, who turned out to be a young girl whose privacy was being constantly invaded by her mother. 

"Look," Ladybug started to tell her. "I'm not going to tell you that your mom's just looking out for you because she loves you and all that because I know it won't convince you. Instead, I'm going to tell you that if it's really bothering you, you should talk to her about it. If it doesn't work? Talk to her about it again. I know she'll probably keep wanting to check your phone or to keep tabs on what you're doing, but if you make her realize that your privacy is very important, she'll understand because that's what parents are supposed to do."

The girl nodded. "Thanks, Ladybug."

"Anytime," she said, smiling. She helped her get up.

"Good job," Chat complimented. "Seems like you've experienced it."

"I actually haven't," Ladybug confessed. "But I had to say something, didn't I? It's the only way we can prevent more akumas. We have to help one another me feel negative emotions."

Chat heard her miraculous beep and she gave him an apologetic smile. 

"I'll see you during patrol, yeah?" she asked. She grabbed her yo-yo and swung it. 

He winked. "You can count on it, my lady."

With the last roll of her eyes, Chat watched her leave. He sighed. It seemed hopeless, her and him. But at least there was always Marinette.

 _Shoot_ , he thought. She didn't know why he was gone. 

He de-transformed in an alley near her house and casually walked towards it. He knocked on the door. When he opened it, he wasn't prepared for what met him. 

Marinette flung her arms around him and Adrien stood there, shocked. She was hugging him!

"I thought…" she trailed, letting go. Her face was flushed and her arms were hidden behind her back. 

"S-sorry for leaving like that. I didn't really think it was safe up there, you know, since the ground kept shaking," he explained. "Sorry, Mari."

"I-it's okay," she said. "I didn't want you to be hurt, that's all."

"Well, I'm not," he told her, smiling. "Say, how about we finish that powerpoint presentation and then we can have another pillow fight? To relieve stress, you know?"

"I'd love that," Marinette said, giving him a wide smile. 

It was a smile that could keep him going for days.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu at superishs.tumblr.com!!


End file.
